Representation of Space. Uncovering the Political Dimension of Guided Tours in Stockholm

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the relation between place and its representations through a comparative discourse analysis of two different guided tours of Stockholm. The comparison sheds light on what may otherwise remain blind spots of mainstream guided tours. Applying Lefebvre's notion of representations of space and Bourdieu's ideas on symbolic power the contribution of this article is to show how all guided tours, regardless of their intention, create political, conceived spaces. Hence this article opens up for a debate on a critically aware reading of the verbal (re)presentation of the particular character of sites in and through guided tours.

Keywords:

• Guided tours
• political
• representation of space
• conceived spaces
• Bourdieu
• Lefebvre
• Stockholm

Acknowledgements

We know how burdensome it would be to edit a special issue if the work had not been supported by scholars who volunteer with excellent reviews of submissions. We have been lucky to have very active editors and reviewers, whose comments have improved the article enormously in particular and deepened our understanding of our study in general. Many thanks for this learning opportunity!

Notes

In order to enhance readability of this text, we have shortened the quotes from the guided tour manuscripts. Arena's manuscript is printed as it was written by the Arena editors (including a few punctuation and spelling mistakes).